Public and private healthcare in Italy

Healthcare has always been a disputed issue in Italy. It involves people from all ranks and it is one
of the politicians favourite issues during their political campaign.
It happens because in Italy, as well as in many other countries, healthcare is provided both by the
public system and by the private one.
It has mainly been happening since the National Health Service, Servizio Sanitario Nazionale
(SSN), was established in 1978, replacing the previous system of state insurance founded after the
Second World War.
However, the question is unresolved yet and it is supposed to remain controversial.
One of the fundamental human rights is the one to health, so that everyone should be able to receive
free or inexpensive treatments, but lack of knowledge of the system and prejudices often lead
Italians to prefer the private healthcare.
If we look at the current situation in Italy from the point of view of the private healthcare, for
whom which supports it, the public system is full of defects. The main points focus on the fact that
the public health service has limited resources for out-patient treatment, nursing and post-operative
care, geriatric assistance, or terminal illnesses and psychiatric treatment.
In addition to this, inadequate treatment due to staff shortages and long waiting lists as a result of a
lack of hospital facilities are frequent complaints made against Italys health service.
Many problems are also related to crippling bureaucracy, mismanagement, general disorganization
and spiraling costs.
On the contrary, due above all to the subsidies, the private healthcare seems to be faster and safer
than the public one, with the result that patients trust it more.
Even though the problems mentioned above are true and they cant pass over in silence, all
Italians should be more aware of the great opportunity they have to benefit of a public healthcare
system that, actually, works well.
They should remember that the World Health Organization (WHO) in World Health Report 2000
ranked the Italian health care system second among 191 countries (France was first) with respect to
health status, fairness in financial contribution, and responsiveness to peoples expectations of the
health system.
The extension of universal health care coverage to the whole population is a key characteristic of
the Italian health care system.
In fact, the SSN was created to achieve the objective in article 32 of the Italian Constitution, which
declares that the Italian state has the responsibility of safeguarding the health of each citizen as an
individual asset and a community interest.
The SSN provides free or low-cost health care to all residents and their families plus university
students and retirees (including those from other EU countries) and emergency care to visitors,
irrespective of their nationality.
Furthermore, the SSN covers general practice (distinct between adult and pediatric practice),
outpatient and inpatient treatments, and the cost of most drugs and sanitary ware.
It is not to be forgotten that the most brilliant doctors work for the public sector and that
advanced research ensures reliability and security for the future.
In conclusion, even if everything is all but perfect, and it could be easier to give up, all citizens
should make an effort to trust more their public healthcare system and support it concretely, and the
benefits will arrive soon and they will be for all.